Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to the Chamber and I welcome this Bill. Like many people, I have many relations in different parts of the world. There were 15 in my mother's family, 11 of whom emigrated. Ten of those went to Boston and one went to Manchester. There were seven in my father's family, five of whom emigrated. One went to New York, one went to Los Angeles, two went to Perth, Australia and one went to Manchester. I therefore know very well about what it is to have family scattered to the four corners of the world. I can understand people who wish to seek a better life. It is natural. You want a better life for yourself, your family and your loved ones. You seek not to face the same challenges you faced at home or that your parents may have faced at home. I therefore fully understand that people are on the move and that they wish to seek a better life.

The welcome was not always great. Certainly, in parts of Boston at the time, the welcome was not always what we imagined it would be. The United States was very much made up of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants at the time, and they certainly did not want to see the Irish coming. They did not want to see Catholics coming, as we would have been at the time. We must note that as well. Thankfully, the Irish integrated into the culture of the United States and into political and other circles. That is to be acknowledged.

We cannot change history, although we may wish to do so. If we could do so, we would be able to do wonders on our own island. We cannot change the plantation of Ulster or the consequences it had on our island and still has today. It happened and we cannot change that. We cannot change colonialism either. We cannot change the colonists such as those from the UK, the Dutch or the Belgians. Senator Higgins is right about the consequences of that on parts of Africa and elsewhere.

It is interesting that people blame the West. Certainly, the West did not invade Ukraine nor did the West carry out an attack on Israel. The consequences of all these things are impacting on migration, and there is, of course, climate change. It could be argued that the West and the developed world have had a large impact on climate change, and that is the case. Migrants are arriving here because of climate change.

The reality of the situation, and it may be the case that it is being heightened by the Rwanda deal in the UK, is that people are arriving in the UK and therefore they are arriving here. The Minister is on record saying that somewhere between 60% and 80% of arrivals here are coming from the United Kingdom. Unless the UK is able to be successful in its policy, we will have to deal with those who arrive. I correct many people, whether at doors or elsewhere in debates, when they say we are bringing too many people into this country. I tell them we are not. We brought Ukrainians in as part of a temporary EU directive. Anyone else is arriving as an asylum seeker. Once they arrive, we have to deal with them. We are obliged to deal with them. That is the reality, that is the law and that is the legal situation. However, the model we have, and I know it is under another Department, of housing people in communities causes tension on the ground in communities, and I faced that in a previous role in the other House and faced it up to quite recently. Senator O’Hara spoke of the unvetted male, and it is large numbers of men in particular that creates tension. Everything else we have stems from that or is conflated with it. The Government will have to look at the policy in the context of larger population centres rather than the existing situation we have.

The pact itself tries to deal with the reality of the situation Europe is facing. We are speaking of the figure of 30,000. The Minister has corrected us to state that it is 647 people who will come, but that does not mean that is all who are going to come. That is because people are coming in addition to the numbers we are obliged to take or provide money for. People are still coming. They are coming from the UK. As I have stated, the official policy of the UK is to stop the boats. The British Government, with its airforce, navy, and whatever else it has, is not able to deal with that situation. Unfortunately, those unfortunates are travelling and coming here. That may change with Rwanda, but we have to deal with the situation as it happens. It is not simple. Anyone, no matter where they are in the South, might believe or pretend this is simple, but it is not, and it is only starting.